The M Word
by TheseAreSuperOld
Summary: Seven years after defeating Voldemort, Harry's got a new challenge raising Dudley's magical son when Dudley decides to try his hand at pro boxing. DH compliant, but AU after ending. R&R! Complete!
1. Meeting Alex

**The M Word**

_A/N:Insert your favorite disclaimer here. Hope you like, R&R please!_

It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning when the fateful letter arrived by post. A twenty-four year old Harry Potter stooped to pick it up, stifling a yawn as he let in Orion (Hedwig's 'successor', so to speak) with the rest of the morning's mail. He flicked his wand at a nearby coffee pot, not bothering to simply set it himself, and sat down at the small, weathered breakfast table. Munching on toast, Harry pulled the mail towards him and was shocked to see the one that had arrived by Muggle means was from none other than Dudley Dursley.

"Merlin, I haven't even _thought_ of them in ages," he murmured to himself, slitting the envelope open.

_Harry,_

_I know we're not on the best of terms but I need your help w__ith something. I have a son__ that's turned out to be one of your lot and I can'__t deal with him__. I don'__t want to just drop him off somewhere because __he's mine, but I don't even know where to begin with that freakiness. Meet__ me at 45 Magnolia Lane Saturday__ at one. I don't know what else to do.__ Hope this reaches you in time._

_Dudley_

Harry was floored. Dudley had a son? At most, he was maybe five years old… and apparently some display of accidental magic had Dudley scared out of his wits. Harry put the letter down and padded over to the coffeepot, pouring himself a cup and stirring the sugar in, lost in his thoughts. To be honest, the thought of Dudley fathering ANYTHING made him a little uneasy… especially if the child was a magical one.

"Good thing I've got weekends off," Harry muttered to himself, thinking about his work as an Auror. He and Ron had just completed training last year, and were just starting to make enough money to think about separate places.

As if on cue, Ron padded into the kitchen barefoot, his red hair sleep-tousled. "Morning," he yawned, pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting across from Harry. "Any mail for me?" He spotted a letter with Hermione's handwriting on it and snatched it up without waiting for a reply, tearing it open at once.

Ron smiled. "Hermione says Italy's great and we should all go sometime," he said, his freckled nose buried in the letter. It was painfully obvious to everyone but Hermione that Ron had a humongous crush on the brainy girl- every time Ginny brought it up Hermione simply laughed it off as 'nothing'.

"Look at this," Harry said, handing Ron the letter from Dudley. He skimmed it quickly and his eyebrows shot up.

"Merlin! D'you think he'd hate the kid? That's all he knows, isn't it, is hating magic?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged, puzzled.

"I'd better get in the shower, since it's ten already." Harry got up and left, leaving Ron to ponder what Dudley wanted on his own.

&&&&&

Promptly at one, Harry knocked on the door to 45 Magnolia Lane. The house was modest, the yard browning slightly in the heat of the summer, and the car in the driveway was slightly beaten up.

A solidly built Dudley Dursley opened the door, eyed Harry for a moment, and then stepped back to let him in. Harry noticed the quaint little home looked quite respectable on the outside, but certainly didn't meet those standards on the inside. Newspapers, fast food bags, empty beer cans, and impossibly small Ziploc bags littered the floor as Dudley took a seat on a stained but expensive-looking couch, and Harry sat on the loveseat.

"Mess ain't mine," Dudley grunted, pushing some of it around with his foot. "Boy's mom was just here, and she- er- well, she's pretty much a bitch. Likes to throw trash around when she's mad."

Harry nodded silently. "So… where's your son? You never said his name in the letter you sent."

Dudley looked at him darkly. "He's gotten freaky this past year… I thought maybe if I ignored it, or just gave him what he wanted, he wouldn't have to go all _weird_ on me. You usually went weird when you felt like you had to, so…" Dudley shrugged. He lit a cigarette and pulled on it deeply, letting the smoke escape in tendrils that hung lazily in the air. "Well, either way, I can't deal with him anymore, and there's no way in hell he's going to an orphanage… not good at all for PR,"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why not send him to his mum then? PR for what?" Harry asked.

Dudley looked pointedly at the fireplace mantle. Harry followed his gaze and saw it was straining under the weight of so many amateur boxing medals and trophies. "I'm going pro," Dudley explained. "Can't take a kid with you on the road, anyway. His mum's… well, she was fine when I met her, and then after she had Alex she decided being a mum was boring. She got in with some old friends that went nutters and she's a cokehead. I can't let a kid be around that; she'll be worse than Dad was with you. She don't care about anything anymore but getting money for her drugs." He looked slightly uncomfortable about having slighted his father, shooting Harry a furtive look.

"Oh that's great… she turns to drugs to make life interesting…" Harry muttered.

Dudley snorted. "Yeah, and spreading her legs for cash. Don't forget that part," he added sardonically. Harry shook his head in disgust. "Anyway, I figured you'd be best, since you're- well, you know…_magical_." Dudley looked slightly terrified at having said the M word.

Harry sat back, his mind spinning. Ron should be moving out soon… but if Harry could convince him to just move into a bigger place, having a kid around might end up being exactly what they needed to liven up the evenings after a hard day at work, and Ron certainly knew more about kids than Harry did. If anything, Mrs. Weasley could watch the boy during the day, since she always bemoaned a lack of children at her home besides Teddy Lupin when Andromeda Tonks was at work. Being an Auror meant he had next to no free time, however… he had some experience with children by insisting on being in Teddy's life as much as possible… could he do the same full time? He certainly had enough money to be able to cut down to thirty hours at the Ministry… and this was family, PLUS a magical child to boot.

"Where's the child?" Harry asked.

"Alex, come in here!" Dudley called over his shoulder. Out of what must have been a bedroom, a tiny little boy walked out uncertainly, and sat next to Dudley. He was a thin, wiry child, much like Harry when he was younger. His deep blue eyes seemed to pop out of his pale face, contrasting with the light brown color of his hair. He smiled at Harry fleetingly before burrowing into Dudley's side.

"Alex, this is my cousin Harry. He's going to take care of you while I'm boxing, and he'll make sure your mum can't get to you and hurt you," Dudley said to Alex, his voice level and almost uncaring. "I won't have time to look after you while on the road."

Alex's eyes shone brightly and his lip quivered. "I'm sorry, Daddy! I don't know how Mommy's hair turned pink, or how I broke your trophy! I'm sorry!" he wailed, tugging on Dudley's shirt.

Dudley simply pressed his lips into a firm line, standing up and holding Alex. "It's for your own good. Harry knows how to deal with all of that, and I don't. I can't take care of you." Giving Alex to Harry, Dudley added, "If you'll let me know where you're at, should you move, I'll send some money every two months or so."

Harry nodded, numb, and turned to leave without another word. Alex had gone limp with crying in his arms, and sniffed occasionally as Harry stepped out and walked down a few streets to a place where he could call the Knight Bus. He rubbed Alex's back like he did Teddy's, warning him, "The bus we're about to go on is a lot of fun, but you must make sure you hold on to me very tightly." Harry felt Alex nod, still sniffling.

The Knight Bus arrived, and Harry stepped on board. Alex looked up and even smiled a few times as the bus trundled along, making trees and lampposts move to avoid it. When they arrived at Harry's and Ron's house, Harry was surprised to hear frantic scratching and whines at the door. As soon as he opened it, a black furball panted happily and yipped, running around Harry in circles and he shut and locked the door.

"Hey mate, I found a puppy outside that looks like a baby Snuffles! Thought you'd love it!" Ron called from a different part of the house. Alex smiled at the frantic puppy and wriggled in Harry's arms, begging to be put down, and Harry complied. All his earlier cares forgotten, Alex started to chase the hyper puppy throughout the living room, squealing in laughter.

"Hey mate, we have a new guest in the house," Harry said as Ron came in to see who was laughing so hard. His eyes went wide at the sight of Alex.

"Merlin! Is that your cousin's kid? Where is he staying?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes following Alex and mini-Snuffles.

Harry nodded in confirmation. "He can't stay with Dudley. He's about to go on the road boxing, and his mom's a druggie. I figured we'd take care of him, if you're not too against it."

Ron frowned slightly, and then shrugged. "It's cool with me; the place feels too empty anyway." He smiled ruefully. "Guess I'm too used to having six other siblings running around and making noise. Have you told him about the magical world yet?"

Harry shook his head. "He liked the Knight Bus- kept his head down for the most part and didn't ask any questions." Ron shooed him into the room.

"Tell him, then. I'll be right here to help," he offered.

"Alex, Ron and I need to talk to you," Harry said. Alex obediently sat down on a nearby chair and looked at the two, puzzled. Harry took a deep breath, wishing Hagrid could have explained this instead. "Alex… you're a wizard."

Alex's eyes went as wide as saucers.


	2. Another Childhood

**Another Childhood**

_A/N: I'm excited I had so many story alerts in such a short amount of time on this one! How about some reviews, too? Let me know how I'm doing!_

_"Alex, Ron and I need to talk to you," Harry said. Alex obediently sat down on a nearby chair and looked at the two, puzzled. Harry took a deep breath, wishing Hagrid could have explained this instead. "Alex… you're a wizard."_

_Alex's eyes went as wide as saucers._

Harry looked at Ron uncertainly.

"Err… well, have you ever… have you ever made strange things happen? Things you just… couldn't explain?" Ron asked. Alex held the bouncing puppy close, and nodded hesitantly. "That was accidental magic. Whenever a young witch or wizard is scared or angry, their magic tries to solve the problem by acting out."

Alex relaxed slightly as Harry and Ron unveiled the magical world to him piece by piece, and soon enough it was sunset, and Alex's eyes began to droop as the day's excitement was replaced by exhaustion.

Harry couldn't help but smile as Alex valiantly struggled to keep his eyes open. Slowly but surely, Alex began to lean to one side, his arms relaxing around the sleeping puppy. Eventually, Alex's head drooped as well and the boy sank against the side of the chair, fast asleep. Ron stopped trying to explain the moving pictures and portraits when Harry pointed out the obvious, and he had to smile at the sight.

"Ginny used to do that all the time," Ron said, gently picking up Alex and giving the sleeping form in his arms a small smile. "Where is he staying?"

Harry grinned sheepishly. "I forgot to Charm in a room… let him stay in my room; I'll be okay on the couch tonight." Ron nodded and put Alex to bed as Harry pulled a blanket out of the linen closet and spread it over the couch for later.

Ron found Harry in the kitchen sipping tea after ensuring Alex was sound asleep and, pouring himself a cup, joined him at the table.

"So… we'll tell Mum now, won't we?" Ron said, more to himself than anything as he threw a bit of Floo powder into the fireplace and called his mother into the room. She gave Ron and Harry a hug each as soon as she stepped in and smiled motherly, dusting ash off of her robes.

"Hello, dears, how are you?" she asked, settling in with a cup of tea Ron offered.

"We're great, Mrs. Weasley. We have a favor to ask of you," Harry started, twirling his cup around. "I'm taking care of my cousin's son- you remember Dudley?" Mrs. Weasley nodded. "His son Alex happens to be a wizard, and Dudley can't really deal with magic, so I've got him. Would you mind watching him for us when we're at work?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded, an approving smile on her face. "Yes, of course! I bet he and Teddy would get along wonderfully," she said, clasping her hands together. "If you boys need help raising him, don't hesitate to ask," she added, stepping into green flames to go back. She froze for a moment, and turned with a frown, sitting back down. "Hold on a moment… you're taking care of a child? Are you sure you even can?" Mrs. Weasley asked, finally realizing the weight of the news. "You both are Aurors! Money aside, do you have time?"

Harry nodded a bit uncertainly. "Er- I figured I'd cut down to thirty hours a week. I don't necessarily _need_ the money…" He looked at Mrs. Weasley, who still didn't look convinced, and added in a rush, "That kid's family; I can't just let someone he doesn't know or expect take care of him!"

Mrs. Weasley sighed and got up from the table again. "Well… I don't suppose you can, when you put it that way… well, dears, I'll be expecting the boy tomorrow, and if you need any help, Floo me," she said, stepping into the grate and going back to the Burrow with a little wave.

Ron looked at Harry sideways. "Do you know what you're getting yourself into, Harry, if your cousin or uncle's been…er, beating him?"

Harry shrugged. "He'll have little bursts of Healing Charms because of accidental magic. It won't be too bad; I did that all the time as a kid."

Ron sighed and explained, "Mate, you're a weird case. Most kids like that don't trust anyone much… if we so much as scare him, he could get some flashback and his magic will lash out."

The implication hit Harry hard. He took a contemplative sip of his cooling tea. "So his magic might be really unstable until he feels he can fully trust us?" he asked for clarification.

"Only if he's been slapped around a lot. If he's been mainly ignored, then we're a little better off, since that would make him repress his magic instead of throwing it around. There, you have a separate amount of problems- if he doesn't stop repressing it soon, it'll interfere with his growth since the magical core helps the body out… if he's been getting proper meals, that is…" Ron said, ticking everything off on his fingers. At Harry's odd, inquisitive look he added, "Part of the Holyhead Harpies' training is medimagic. I helped her study for the community service things at the magical orphanages, so she wouldn't have to check procedures in the books."

Harry nodded understanding, remembering bits of what Ron said from his own medimagic training- although, admittedly, the Aurors dealt with life-threatening problems more often than malnourished or abused children.

"Well then," Harry started as he stood up, "I guess we've got ourselves a bit of a job."

Ron snorted. "You'd better be glad he's not in nappies. I'm completely useless before the toilet-trained age."

Harry winced slightly. "Let's hope he's not a bed-wetter, either."

A panicked cry came from Harry's room, startling both men and causing Harry to drop and break his teacup. They looked at each other briefly and ran to Harry's room, turning the light on to reveal a shaking, huddled form at the end of the bed.

Harry extricated Alex from the impossible tangle of sheets, thankfully dry, and held him close. He remembered all too painfully waking up as a child from nightmares and wanting nothing more than a pair of reassuring arms wrapped around him. "You're okay, Alex; everything's fine," he crooned, rubbing the boy's back until he stopped trembling.

"Bad dream?" Ron asked Alex gently once he showed his tear-stained face. Alex sniffled and nodded.

"Grampa hates me," he said quietly. "Gramma cut my hair really short and it grew back overnight, and he made me stay in a cupboard."

A hot flash of anger surged through Harry as Ron looked at Alex open-mouthed. After a few terse minutes of calming Alex down enough for him to sleep again, Harry put Alex back to bed and he and Ron left the room.

"They did that to me all the time," Harry said furiously. "I fucking lived in that cupboard; thank Merlin he was only in it for one night."

Ron said nothing for a long time. He shuffled to the bay window in the living room, staring out silently for a few minutes before turning back around to face Harry.

"Well, mate," he said, "Here's your chance to give that kid the childhood you never had."


	3. A Prospect of Fun

**A Prospect of Fun**

_A/N:Sorry, sorry, sorry... this was a hard chapter to write... freakin' writer's block hit in the middle of it... anyway, enjoy!_

_Ron said nothing for a long time. He shuffled to the bay window in the living room, staring out silently for a few minutes before turning back around to face Harry._

_"Well, mate," he said, "Here's your chance to give that kid the childhood you never had."_

A month later, Harry was up bright and early cooking breakfast for himself and Alex, since Ron had left earlier to work.

Just as Harry pulled the crispiest bacon he'd ever cooked (magic did help things, of course) off the stove, a tufty-haired Alex walked into the room rubbing his eyes, with the puppy Alex named Shadow trotting beside him.

"Morning, Alex. Did you sleep well?" Harry asked, placing a light breakfast in front of Alex. He nodded silently after taking a seat on top of an untouched copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ (to Harry, courtesy of Hermione- hence the pristine appearance) to reach the table.

An awkward silence set in as the two began to eat. Shadow whined softly and Alex dropped him a bit of bacon. Harry pretended not to see anything, not wanting to tell off Alex when he'd just started really opening up and make him fearful again.

When Alex finished breakfast, he placed his dishes in the sink and went to the living room with Shadow, waiting on Harry to finish cleaning up so his "lessons" could begin. Harry flicked his wand at the sink and smiled slightly as the dishes began washing themselves- it had taken Hermione a week to help Harry get the hang of several household spells, and he still felt a small sense of pride when he managed to do it right.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, Uncle Harry," Alex said softly when Harry sat down across from him with a writing tablet and a pencil on his lap. Harry shrugged and handed Alex the materials.

"Accidental magic happens, Alex. I'm just sorry you felt threatened enough to lash out. Now, write your alphabet again, in the best handwriting you can. Don't worry about yesterday; Ron's alright."

The day before, after Ron and Harry had picked up Alex from the Weasley home, Harry had asked Alex to help them put away groceries. During the chore, Alex had tried to pick up the gallon of milk and dropped it. When Ron bent down to pick it up for Alex, the poor boy had panicked, thinking he was in trouble for dropping food, and a loud bang sounded as Ron's hand collided with the accidental form of _protego_, his hand burning as the magic fuelling the shield caused anything that came in contact with it to spark as if it were about to be consumed by fire. Ron yelled and swore, falling backwards onto Shadow, who had yelped and Ron was burned again as the shield was extended to Shadow in another burst of panic.

Fifteen minutes, tears, and a few Healing Charms later, Ron was fine and Alex had only puffy eyes as he cuddled Shadow and Harry tried to explain to him that dropping something was no reason for punishment, unless he'd been told not to touch it in the first place. Poor Alex had finally understood to Harry's satisfaction, rather than nodding without understanding he wasn't in trouble.

"I'm done, Uncle Harry," Alex said, breaking Harry out of his reverie. He mentally shook himself and smiled at Alex before looking over the notepad. He was impressed to see that Alex had actually rewritten the alphabet twice to correct his mistakes, and had done both the lower and upper cases.

"Good job, Alex! I can see your handwriting is getting much better, and you remembered the capital N faces the other way. I'm very proud," he said, ruffling the boy's hair briefly. Alex's face lit up with the praise, which made Harry's heart ache slightly as he remembered his own lack of praise as a child. "How about we go to Diagon Alley for a little treat? I think I remember promising ice cream if you learned your alphabet,"

Alex grinned. "Yeah!" He jumped off the couch before skidding to a stop and asking, "Can Teddy come too?"

Harry smiled briefly. "We'll have to ask Mrs. Weasley, but if she says it's okay then it's fine with me," he answered. Alex smiled again and ran off to his room to wash up and dress while Harry made his way to the Floo to ask Molly if she'd mind having Teddy off her hands for a bit.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful! In fact, I need a few things from the apothecary and I haven't seen George in a week- I'll come with you," Mrs. Weasley trilled, her face lighting up at the prospect of seeing her son.

Harry nodded and stepped back as the flames roared higher and Mrs. Weasley and Teddy stepped through the flames. Teddy looked up at Harry and smiled, showing two dark spaces where his baby teeth had fallen out. His turquoise hair and bright green eyes made Harry smile wistfully- Tonks peered out of those eyes, no matter what color they happened to be, just as Remus presented himself in Teddy's attitude and demeanor most of the time.

"Teddy!" Alex raced forward from his room, with Shadow following close behind, to greet his friend. "Teddy, show Uncle Harry that pig nose you did the other day! With the pink hair!"

Teddy grinned at his younger friend and complied, making pig noises to go along with it. Harry forced himself to laugh, suddenly hit with a pang of sorrow. Shaking it off, he ruffled Teddy's hair and said, "You know, you looked like a boy version of your mum when you did that. She used to make us laugh by changing her nose into different animal types,"

Mrs. Weasley nodded, rubbing Harry's arm to jolt him out of Memory Lane. "What do you say we get going? I bet Uncle George would be so happy to see you both!" Cheering, both boys went through the Floo with Mrs. Weasley as Harry thanked his lucky stars for having the two rambunctious boys around.

Smiling slightly to himself, Harry took a bit of the Floo powder and threw it into the fireplace as he noticed the flames start turning orange again.

He hoped "Uncle George" was ready and willing to deal with two miniature Freds, and stepped into the grate to enjoy the day with Alex.


	4. Happily Ever After

**Happily Ever After**

_A/N: It's over! Stunned? Me too- I didn't plan on this being so short, but more often than not the story does what it wants, regardless of what YOU want. Ah well. Enjoy!_

Forty five minutes later, Harry and Mrs. Weasley burst into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes after two boisterous little boys, who cackled happily as they perused the shelves. The two tired adults made their way to the front counter to see George, their faces red and breathing hard.

George smirked slightly, having seen the entire thing. "Reminds me of me and Fred when we were younger- Mum couldn't take us to Hogsmeade without us begging to go to Zonko's. That's probably why we Flooed to Diagon Alley more often, even though the Floo from the Burrow to Hogsmeade is much cleaner," he said, his face pinching slightly at the mention of Fred.

Molly Weasley pursed her lips before walking around the counter and pulling George into the back stockroom for a complete "mom-exam." Harry leaned on the counter casually, keeping a keen Seeker's eye on the two boys laughing about all the pranks on the shelves. He smiled slightly to himself, reflecting on Teddy's undeniable influence on the younger boy, bringing him out of his shell and subtly teaching him to accept the magical side of himself, rather than repressing it as Ron had predicted Alex would.

A dark, sore spot twisted painfully inside him as he thought of Ginny, newly engaged to some Quidditch manager, and the horror of the too-late realization of his true, lasting love for the youngest Weasley. _I may just stay single, like Snape did after Mum married Dad,_ he thought. His heart warmed seeing Alex chase Teddy with a sparking fake wand, and he counted himself lucky that at least he'd have a sort-of child to raise as his own, if he was to stay single.

The door bell tinkled as another customer walked in. Harry turned to see who it was, and was struck dumb by the friendly and warm pair of hazel eyes staring out at him from a pleasant, heart-shaped face. He managed a slightly shaky smile and the witch smiled back, her eyes flicking up to his scar with mild interest.

The pretty dark-haired witch turned and walked to a far corner of the store, browsing the shelves. After ensuring the boys were in no danger, Harry quelled the butterflies in his stomach and forced himself to walk over to the witch, introducing himself in a surprisingly calm voice as his insides writhed.

George and Mrs. Weasley smiled at the sight as they stepped out from the back stockroom of Harry trying hard to be natural around such a stunning witch and failing miserably. The boys peeped around a shelf micheviously, sizing up the woman before becoming bored with "adult talk" and running off again.

Harry found himself entranced by the young witch, and let himself open up as he had for Ginny. It had been a long time since he'd allowed himself to love in that sense… much too long, he discovered, as time passed unnoticed.

**Ten Years Later**

"Congratulations, Teddy! I heard you got into the Unspeakables division at the Ministry!" Fifteen-year-old Alex thumped a graduating Teddy Lupin affectionately on the back, proud of his best friend's appointment and graduation from Hogwarts. The Hufflepuff badge gleamed from his own robes as he smiled at his almost-cousin Victoire Weasley, who wore her prefect and Ravenclaw badges proudly at the reception as students and parents alike milled around the perfect lawn of Hogwarts after the graduation ceremony.

"Teddy, good job! We are so proud of you, you know," called out a voice. Teddy turned, his turquoise hair in his eyes for a moment, and he grinned widely at the sight of his godfather Harry and his wife Allison, whose sharp hazel eyes were lit with warmth and love for him as well as Alex, whom she'd raised as her own after the marriage two years after the joke shop meeting.

"I am very proud of your decision to become a Mind Healer, Alex," Allison added, embracing the sandy-haired young man before her.

He smiled. "Well, I still remember some of what Uncle Harry, Ron, and Teddy did to get me to stop being so afraid… I figured, what better way to repay their kindness by helping other Muggleborn children with the same problems I did? Repressing their magic _does_ stunt their growth and mental state, after all," Alex stated. "And I think Shadow could help- what child can resist a dog?"

Teddy laughed. "Oh, I remember you used to drag the poor thing around the first month you were in the magical world! He learned pretty quickly that just following you was better than trying to get away."

Alex ducked his head briefly, slightly embarrassed, before grinning in good humor and counting his blessings. Imagine if Grampa Vernon had had his way! From what Uncle Harry told him, life wouldn't have been too great… he might have been kept from going to Hogwarts, or even ever learning he was a wizard. He felt another flush of gratitude towards Harry and Ron for taking him in, as well as the detached hollowness Dudley had left behind by refusing to even see his own son once his boxing career took off. He shrugged it off, basking in the love and sense of family he gained thanks to Dudley's reaching out for help.

Life as a wizard was definitely more to his liking than anything else could have been.

**_FIN_**


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